Defendant who continued to traffic drugs after federal indictment sentenced to more than 14 years in prison

DAYTON, Ohio - A Georgia man who continued to traffic drugs after being indicted federally was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 170 months in prison.

David Gullatte, 39, of Lithonia, Georgia, was a prolific drug trafficker who brought bulk amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into the Southern District of Ohio from a source of supply in California.

According to court documents, between 2020 and 2021, law enforcement intercepted multiple kilograms of narcotics being mailed to Gullatte. Gullatte would buy the drugs from California then arrange for the supplier to mail the drugs to homes in Atlanta and Dayton. Upon receiving the drug shipments, Gullatte resold them in southern Ohio and elsewhere.

For example, in September 2020, Gullatte obtained a drug shipment of more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine in Atlanta and then arranged for another person to transport the drugs for delivery and resale in Dayton.

While under indictment for this conduct and pending trial, investigators caught Gullatte supplying cocaine and other drugs to a drug trafficking ring in Xenia.

Throughout the drug conspiracies, Gullatte was responsible for the trafficking of more than 30 kilograms of various controlled substances including cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.

Gullatte was originally indicted in May 2024. He was charged for his continued drug trafficking in March 2025. He pleaded guilty in both cases in September 2025.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Walter H. Rice. Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi, Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Amy M. Smith and Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth McCormick are representing the United States in these cases.

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